Report: Israel, Egypt to sign prisoner swap
Egyptian paper al Aheam claims Cairo, Jerusalem to sign deal on Saturday that will see Israeli citizen Ouda Tarabin freed in exchange for 63 Egyptian prisoners held in Israel
Egyptian newspaper al Ahram quoted security officials as saying that a prisoner swap deal, which will see Israeli citizen Ouda Tarabin freed in exchange for over 63 Egyptian prisoners held in Israel, will be signed on Saturday.
Tarabin, a resident of Rahat, was arrested in Egypt in 2000 on suspicion of spying for Israel. He was sentenced to 15 years in prison after being convicted of collecting intelligence.
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The report quoted Abdullah abu Khama, an Egyptian council member representing the northern Sinai district as saying that the Egyptian party is making last ditch efforts to increase the number of prisoners included in the deal. He also noted that the negotiations to release Tarabin are serious, but have yet to yield final results.
On Friday, al Ahram's website reported that Israel's Ambassador to Egypt Yaacov Amitai delayed his trip to back Israel by one day in order to complete a round of negotiations relating to the deal. The report could not be verified.
Egyptian media outlets reported over the years on talks over prisoner exchange deals. Several weeks ago al Aharam reported that a high level Israeli delegation arrived in Cairo to discuss Tarabin's release.
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